Put a Bird In It - Part II

The Urban-est was designed by Snohetta as a nest/birdhouse that could fit within the hollows of a standard masonry block. The prototype was developed for the Design Trust for Public Space’s 2009 Annual Benefit auction.1

The exterior surface was comprised of laser-cut 1/8″ birch and acrylic layers built up into a topography creating perches and entrances into the nest. The laser-cut birch pieces extended back into the hollows of the masonry unit, with the opposite end clad with one-way glass allowing those on the inside of the wall to observe the nesting habits of the birds (a clear acrylic panel was used in the prototype). Since the dense birch plywood develops a char along the cut line in the laser, all of the birch pieces were hand-finished to remove the discoloration.1

Snohetta describes the piece as 

An Organic topography of perches and holes, while the interior wall of the unit is clad with one-way glass for observing the nesting habits of birds without disturbance.2

Works Cited
All images courtesy of Snohetta unless otherwise noted

1  http://www.baseheight.com/home/portfolio-item/birdhouse-by-snohetta

2 http://www.snohetta.com/#/projects/226/true/installations/image/998/

Interactive Paving

Discovered this wonderful video from Benjamin Boré on thisiscollasal.com.  Benjamin created a "liquid brick" installation as part of a collaboration at Raum à La Box in France. Meant to “question the harshness of the city” the idea is really quite simple, to embed a water-filled pouch beneath the city streets, and the effect is pretty charming, especially for the kids clamoring all over the thing. 1

VIDEO:

1 All text, images and videos courtesy of http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2011/06/liquid-bricks/